This Christmas may be unusually colder for soldiers in Iraq, but at least they're comforting themselves with playing their beloved Halo 3 tournaments, which is a nice treat considering that they were also given the chance to become Halo 3 beta testers. More details in the full article.

Midway Studios Austin's latest game for the first person shooter genre, Blacksite: Area 51 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3), may have had much promise, but it failed to meet expectations of players and reviewers alike. Game designer Harvey Smith, known for his work on the memorable Deus Ex, looked back on the critical errors made while developing BlackSite.

Details and more at the full article.

For sure. When Microsoft seemed bent to advocate Live Anywhere to game developers in order to connect console thumb-flippers to PC twitchers on what might have been the modern gamer's World War I, they probably didn't expect to be stopped dead cold by Infinity Ward's two-lettered dumb-founder: "No." Activision's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ain't going Live, says Infinity, and that's that.

 

But Infinity Ward's Grant Collier did reveal in an interview with IGN that CoD4 (for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) was not going to be a sandbox destructive game. Instead, they've put more focus on producing better frame rates on the game than creating a world that's "totally destructible."

And according to Collier, full destructibility is just another fad in the shooting genre that could end sooner than later. While everyone is else is requesting for such a feature, Infinity Ward doesn't feel that it delivers fun in any of the games that are being designed with that concept in mind, like EA's Battlefield Bad Company. He added:

I think it's a buzzword, it's a badge, it's a bullet-point option, but a lot of games they get in there and they try to do that and then they're like 'okay we have the sandbox, now why don't we try to make the game fun'. And total destructibility, you can really ruin the gameplay. ... So I think right now it's a fad, and the fad will pass, we're not going to be bite on in it - we want the game to be fun first, and destructibility comes second.

Oh and Price is coming back. Again. Revived for the modern era, the lovable Brit is going to get new shoes to fill, with arch-nemesis Zakhaev. Collier said that a foiled assassination attempt has your paths cross with Zakhaev and Price and much of their history gets revealed through flashbacks set in Ukraine.

And even though facts have been tossed around that Call of Duty 4 was set in present-day Iraq, it actually revolves around conflict touching the four corners of the modern world. And enemies aren't under-equipped, cowardly Guerrilla types; they've got the technology and the tactics to take you and your band of brothers (circa 2007) out.

With Activision's recently submitted financial performance report for fiscal year 2007, avid gamer and analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities remained optimistic about the future for Activision. For the fiscal year 2008, Pachter estimates a US$ 1.8 billion in revenue for the company, while eyeing a US$ 2 billion in revenue for 2009.

 

He also recommends a "Strong Buy" for the company's stock as a result, from a US$ 23 to US$ 24.50. But according to the analyst, "All things are not perfect in Activision's world." The so-so reviews of the game adaptation of blockbuster hit Spider-Man 3 were especially questioned by Pachter.

And then came the news that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was to be set in present-day Iraq, which Pachter points out as a bad move for the company. He said:

We understand that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is set in Iraq in the present, and we believe that if true, there is some potential for sales to suffer as a result of widespread dissatisfaction with the U.S. war effort in that country. Of course, prior to release, it may be possible to change the venue for the game (we prefer the fictional country of Kreplachistan), and we are confident that Activision will consider carefully how to best position the product in the marketplace this fall.

That's not all: due to recent friction between Harmonix and Electronic Arts' Rock Band with upcoming Red Octane and Activision's riff-maker Guitar Hero III, Pachter expects one tough fight ahead of the publisher. He expects that the original creators of Guitar Hero, Harmonix, will be able to create a competitive title against its former franchise with Rock Band, even if the analyst has heard little details about the new game under Electronic Arts' wing.

In case you missed it, developer Infinity Ward will be making a big announcement this coming April 28, Saturday. The company didn't mention what exactly the big news is going to be about but fans are thinking that it could be about Call of Duty 4. Gaming site IGN now confirms that it is indeed about that shooter.

First and foremost, CoD 4 will be officially known as Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. Still no details were released about this title but judging from the name, it is very possible that the series is moving away from the WW II settings. Could it be set in one of the modern battlefields such as Iraq? Afghanistan perhaps?

Anyway, as part of the announcement, the worldwide trailer will be released on the same day (April 28). You could catch it on ESPN around 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST. It will be shown during the NFL draft so don't miss that.

Infinity Ward, or Activision for that matter, is yet to divulge what platforms Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will be on. Although it is highly plausible though that it will come on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 (PS3) and Games for Windows (PC) platforms.

 

It's time to jump into the fray! Check your mail and pray that your spam filter didn't delete your invitation into the Halo 3 beta test. If you got it, that is.

Word from Kotaku is that the invitations to the 13,333 gamers who got into phase two of the Halo 3 beta have already been sent, so it's  only a matter of time before you know the inevitable truth of your situation.

For  those who don't remember, Bungie's Rule of Three beta process was comprised of a beta testing application and two additional processes. Phase one allowed soldiers fighting in Iraq to beta test the game from their location. Phase two is the above-mentioned 13,333 lucky ones. Lastly, folks who have a copy of Crackdown will be able to get their own chance to get into the beta.

Now would be a good time to get into your local stores and grab a copy. If you don't, however, trust us when we say we feel the same. We never got an email ourselves.

Who says soldiers on duty can't have some fun? These images from Gamespot's forums show the soldiers in Iraq playing the beta of Halo 3. Well, at least it's work-related.

Companies Bungie and Microsoft apparently teamed up to set a huge gaming station especially for the soldiers in Iraq to showcase the multiplayer feature of the game. That sure is a nice treat for them working hard keeping the peace out there. And hey, these guys do deserve a break, too, after all.

Hmmm...maybe after their stint in Iraq, they could be professional beta-testers for games of the same kind, eh? It is in their line of expertise, anyway.

There's a couple more beta screens after the jump!